Method for determining probable response of aquatic species to selected components of water flow fields

Abstract

A method for determining the probable response of aquatic species to selected components of water flow fields, comprising the steps of obtaining data for identifying travel and quantitatively describing behavior of real fish constituting members of a selected aquatic species in a flow field, determining passive transport trajectories of the members of the aquatic species in the flow field to establish a basis from which to determine swim path selections, developing postulated behavioral responses of members of the aquatic species to at least one of hydraulic and acoustic stimuli, using statistical rules, and developing a computer utilizing the travel behavior data, the passive transport trajectories, and the postulated behavioral responses, to provide a virtual fish. The method further includes the steps of obtaining data on at least one selected hydraulic flow field component to generate a virtual hydraulic flow field, generating a simulative application of a multiplicity of virtual fish to the virtual hydraulic flow field, and tracking and monitoring the virtual fish through the virtual flow field, and summarizing results as to the numbers of virtual fish entering and exiting the virtual flow field, whereby to determine probable efficiency of real fish passage through the real hydraulic flow field.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Method for determining the probable response of aquatic species to selected components of water flow fields, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining data for identifying and quantitatively describing travel behavior of real fish constituting members of a selected aquatic species in a flow field;   determining passive transport trajectories of members of the aquatic species using data on the flow field to establish a basis from which to determine swim path selections;   determining postulated behavioral responses of members of the aquatic species to at least one of hydraulic and acoustic stimuli using statistical rules;   utilizing said travel behavior data of real fish in the flow field, said passive transport trajectories of real fish in the flow field, and said postulated behavior responses of real fish to stimuli, developing a computer program adapted to predict swim path selections by the real fish, such predictions being manifested in the form of virtual fish;   obtaining data on at least one selected hydraulic flow field component, to generate a virtual hydraulic flow field;   generating a simulative application of a multiplicity of virtual fish to the virtual hydraulic flow field, and tracking and monitoring the virtual fish through the virtual flow field; and   summarizing results as to the numbers of the virtual fish entering and exiting through specific locations of the virtual flow field;   whereby to determine the probable response of real fish to the selected components of a real hydraulic flow field.   
     
     
       2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein obtaining data for identifying travel behavior of real fish constituting members of the selected aquatic species comprises at least a selected one of (1) tracing real fish positions as collected by monitoring hydroacoustics in a real water flow field; and (2) obtaining data on real fish from tagging studies conducted in a real water flow field. 
     
     
       3. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein said field data is stored in a memory portion of a computer. 
     
     
       4. The method in accordance with claim 3, wherein said passive transport of the members of the aquatic species in the flow field is determined by at least one of (1) simulating a flow path of a neutrally buoyant particle passively transported in the flow field, and (2) tracing a flow path of a drogue through a selected one of a real flow field and a scaled physical model of a real flow field. 
     
     
       5. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein said passive transport is stored in a memory portion of a computer to provide simulated passive transport. 
     
     
       6. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein determining behavioral responses of the members of the aquatic species to hydraulic and acoustic stimuli comprises determining probabilities of the members moving from one state exhibited by said members to any other state exhibited by said members, to establish rules to predict behavior of individual ones of said members. 
     
     
       7. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein said rules to predict behavior are stored in a memory portion of a computer. 
     
     
       8. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the computer program predicts the swim path selection by the real fish by providing a virtual fish simulating the predicted swim path of the real fish. 
     
     
       9. The method in accordance with claim 8, wherein obtaining data for at least one selected flow field component comprises obtaining data from at least a selected one of (1) a mathematical hydraulic model, (2) a scale model of the hydraulic field, and (3) use of measuring instruments in the real flow field; and said hydraulic field data is entered into the computer program. 
     
     
       10. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein said data obtained for said selected flow field is used to generate a virtual hydraulic flow field. 
     
     
       11. The method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the generating of a simulative application of the virtual fish to the virtual hydraulic flow field comprises overlaying all virtual fish behavioral rules on top of said virtual hydraulic flow field. 
     
     
       12. The method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the summarizing of numbers of virtual fish entering and exiting the virtual hydraulic flow field at specific locations further comprises summarizing of numbers of virtual fish affected by obstacles disposed in said hydraulic flow field. 
     
     
       13. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein obtaining data for identifying travel behavior of real fish comprises at least one of obtaining field data and obtaining published data. 
     
     
       14. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining data on said selected hydraulic flow field component to generate said virtual hydraulic flow field further comprises obtaining environmental data relating to water in said flow field. 
     
     
       15. The method in accordance with claim 14 wherein said environmental data comprises at least water quality data. 
     
     
       16. Method for determining the probable response of aquatic species to selected components of water flow fields, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining data for identifying and quantitatively describing travel behavior of real fish constituting members of a selected aquatic species in a water field;   determining passive transport trajectories of members of the aquatic species using data on the water field to establish a basis from which to determine swim path selections;   determining postulated behavioral responses of members of the aquatic species to at least one of hydraulic and acoustic stimuli using statistical rules;   utilizing said travel behavior data of real fish in the flow field, said passive transport trajectories of real fish in the flow field, and said postulated behavior responses of real fish to stimuli, developing a computer program adapted to predict swim path selection by the real fish, such predictions being manifested in the form of a virtual fish;   obtaining data on at least one selected water field component, to generate a virtual water field;   generating a simulative application of a multiplicity of virtual fish to said virtual water field, and tracking and monitoring the virtual fish through said virtual water field; and   summarizing results as to the numbers of said virtual fish entering and exiting through specific locations of said virtual water field;   whereby to determine probable response of real fish to the selected components of a real water flow field.